What Is Blood Falls? Antarctica's Mysterious Red Waterfall Has Puzzled Us For Decades

For over 100 years, a rather eerie natural phenomenon mystified us all: No one could figure out why Blood Falls is red. The puzzle was recently put together, though, thanks to researchers out of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Colorado College; but in case you're late to the party, let's rewind. What it Blood Falls, and why have we been so obsessed with it all these years?

When scientists first found the waterfall, it was frozen; they suspected the creepy red color came from algae. However, it was recently discovered that the blood red tint instead comes from when the iron-rich water first hits the air. Fun fact: A similar oxidation process happens with our own bodies when our salty, iron-filled blood first makes contact with air and turns red.

This hidden ecosystem of microbial life now has scientists wondering if Mars, too, could support a similar ecosystem. This ecosystem could also help explain the scientific hypothesis known as "Snowball Earth," which states that our planet was once completely (or almost completely) frozen — probably around 650 million years ago. If this was the case, how did living forms survive? Well, much like they did within the frozen Taylor Glacier.

While the mystery of Blood Falls seems to have been solved, there are still many questions to explore. Our environment isn't the only one that can sustain some form of life. There is much out there to be discovered, and nature is an incredible thing.